ANDAt the time of Gustavo Petro’s presidential campaign, there was talk of increasing financial aid and subsidies for the less fortunate, reaching an amount of 500,000 Colombian pesos for the elderly. However, this It was based on what would be the tax, pension, labor reform and other changes that the current National Government planned to implement..
However, it was not so easy and not so viable to implement these changes, punctually, for the origin of the resources that the Department for Social Prosperity (DPS) hoped to obtain to deliver to the elderly who cannot access a pension. For this reason, only in Petro’s second year in office will there be an increase in money for this population, but it will be less than half of what was promised during the campaign.
How much will Colombia Mayor pay from June 2024 and why are they talking about a Pension Bonus?
It should be clarified that The term ‘Pension Bonus’ has been used by the National Government because the objective has always been to provide a higher amount of money for people who do not have a pension. and who exceed the working and productive age. But the amount of money is far from it, what it does not mean is a considerable increase for those who are in need and are in a vulnerable condition.
Before, a financial aid of 80,000 Colombian pesos per month for people who exceeded the legal pension age (57 years for women and 62 for men)but with this new distribution of money, from cycle 5 there are several categories and in the city of Bogotá there would be greater aid due to an increase in money from the Mayor’s Office of Bogotá:
- Money from Colombia Mayor throughout the country (from cycle 5) for those under 80 years of age: 80,000 Colombian pesos monthly
- Money from Colombia Mayor throughout the country (from cycle 5) for people over 80 years of age: 225,000 Colombian pesos monthly
- Money from Colombia Mayor in Bogotá (from cycle 5) for those under 80 years of age: 130,000 Colombian pesos monthly
- Money from Colombia Mayor in Bogotá (from cycle 5) for people over 80 years of age: 275,000 Colombian pesos per month, unconfirmed
When does the Colombia Mayor payment begin in May-June 2024 in Colombia?
According to the DPS published in its official media, There will be 1,631,089 participants and beneficiaries who will receive resources from Colombia Mayor at all agesbut there are 484,697 those over 80 years of age who will benefit from this long-awaited and announced increase.
As well as President Petro himself announced last February that payment would begin at the end of May or beginning of June. with the new amount for those over 80 years of age, on the social networks of the official entity they confirmed that The money will begin to be delivered from May 29 and there is no official closing date.
From May 29, 2024, the increase in the monthly payment of Colombia Mayor will apply. Applies to beneficiaries in Active status, over 80 years old, in extreme poverty. The increase of $225,000 will be effective from cycle 5-2024
Conditions to receive payment from Colombia Mayor in 2024
From the National Government has explained the criteria to be in the database managed by this program are the following, clarifying that “There is no need to buy any product at the payment point”since some cases and confusions have been reported in this regard:
- Be a Colombian citizen.
- Have resided during the last ten (10) years in the national territory. Be at least three years younger than the age required to receive an old-age pension (Currently, 57 years for women and 62 for men).
- Lacking sufficient income or income to survive. According to Sisbén IV, all levels of groups A and B and C are taken up to subgroup C1.
According to official information from the Presidency of the Republic, The increase in monetary transfers from Colombia Mayor comes from the efforts of Social Prosperity, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Labor, the National Department of Planning and Colpensiones. But to know if the increase for all older adults can be unified, it will depend on the debate on the pension reform that begins to be discussed in the first week of March 2024.
